It’s one thing to get permits from the local authorities and reach agreement with the neighbors. Before you set up housekeeping for a small flock of chickens, also be sure to provide the proper surroundings to keep them happy.

Chickens are like any other birds invited into the yard: They need food, water and cover to be healthy and happy, said Jessica Bloom, author of “Free Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful Chicken-Friendly Yard” (Timber Press. 2012).

“It’s best if you can create some beneficial habitat for your free-ranging chickens — particularly plants they can eat from,” Bloom said in a telephone interview from her home at Mill Creek, Wash. “That also gives them some shelter and a general sense of well-being.”

She calls that a “food forest” — a diverse and multilayered mix of tree canopy, berry-laden shrubs, vines, groundcover and planting beds.

Chickens can be great for a backyard: They control pests, aerate yards and supply fertilizer and eggs. But they also love to scratch and peck when foraging, and that can destroy gardens. So fence newly seeded beds and vulnerable areas, Bloom said.

Hen houses, chicken coops or night shelters are a must for every flock, especially to ward off predators, she said.

A few more suggestions for getting things started:

• It’s easier to build a flock by buying chicks than by trying to hatch your own, Bloom said.

• You don’t need roosters unless you want to breed your own chickens, said David Frame, an extension poultry specialist with Utah State University. In some urban settings, roosters are illegal.

• Have everything ready before you bring home your birds.

• Chickens will eat almost anything, including table scraps, grass and insects. “But they have to have a balanced diet,” Frame said. “Get some sort of commercial chickenfeed that’s loaded with vitamins and minerals.”

• Keep living areas clean to prevent disease and rodents.

• Chicken manure makes great fertilizer but it’s extremely high in nitrogen. “You definitely want to cure used litter for a while before putting it on your plants if you want to compost it,” said Jennifer Cook, with Colorado State University Extension.

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